Blog // Connect Ohio

07/29/14

3.6 Million Ohioans Use E-Government Services

By Lyndsey Kleven

According to Connect Ohio’s recently published report, Making Government Accessible: e-Government Usage in Ohio, nearly 3.6 million adults (47% of adult Internet users in the state) go online to do business with government offices. More than one in three Ohio Internet users (38%) go online to search for information about government services, while 31% use the Internet to apply for government services or fill out forms at government websites.
“With a large amount of government services quickly transitioning to online formats, it is encouraging to see a growing number of Ohio Internet users utilizing them,” said Stu Johnson, executive director...

02/28/14

2.7 Million Working-Age Ohioans Report Difficulties with Technology in Work Place

By Lyndsey Kleven

According to Connect Ohio’s recently published report, Training Ohio’s Workforce—Bringing Digital Skills to the Workplace, more than 2.7 million working-age Ohio adults say they would have difficulty completing computer-related tasks required by most employers, while two-thirds of Ohio businesses (67%) use broadband and need employees who can use it effectively.
Nationally, 70% of businesses consider it “important” or “very important” for employees to have some Internet skills. Many Ohio adults lack the digital skills that employers are seeking — one in eight Ohio households that do not subscribe to broadband cite a lack of digital literacy...

06/13/12

Washington County Sheriff's Broadband Story

By Lyndsey Kleven

Washington County Sheriff Larry R. Mincks spoke to Connect Ohio about the lack of high-speed Internet access throughout the county and the effects it has on his deputies and public safety.
Connect Ohio research illustrates the significant impact of high-speed Internet availability in the work place, with broadband-connected businesses in Ohio bringing in $200,000 more in median annual revenue than those who do not use Internet. For the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the lack of countywide Internet access isn’t an issue of lost revenue, rather a concern about the protection of the deputies and well-being of county residents.
The...

04/24/12

ECO Showcases Importance of Broadband/Web Presence for one Gallia County Company

By Lyndsey Kleven

Going from living in a large metropolitan city and moving to Gallipolis, Ohio, located in the state’s Appalachian region, W. Oran Smeltzer was in for a change. Having been raised in Gallia County, Smeltzer knew before moving back that parts of the area relied much less on technology and Internet than he had become accustomed to living in an urban area.
A significant barrier to opportunity that the region faces is lack of Internet connectivity and adoption. In Connect Ohio’s recent report, Technology Barriers and Adoption in Rural Appalachian Ohio, it is revealed that an astonishing 531,000 adults in the area do not have home broadband...